Treatments

Ankylosing Spondylitis Treatments

The goal of treatment for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is to reduce pain and stiffness, prevent deformities and maintain as normal and active a lifestyle as possible. Treatment may include:

• Maintaining proper posture
• Regular exercise, including exercises that strengthen back muscles
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications to reduce pain and inflammation
• Medications known as tumor necrosis factor blockers
• Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as sulfasalazine, to decrease inflammation
• Short-term use of corticosteroids to reduce inflammation
• Short-term use of muscle relaxants and pain relievers to relieve severe pain and muscle spasms
• Surgery to replace a joint, to place rods in the spine or to remove parts of the thickened and hardened bone